Dispensing device



D. COLVIN Sept. 9., 1941.

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Sept. 9, 1941. D. coLvlN DISPENSING DEVICE IIJ.'

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ITTORNEY Patented Sept. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES T ori-ICE 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to dispensing devices and contemplates certain improvements over the invention described in the co-pending application, Serial Number 235,271, of Jacob A. Stadtfeld.

Generally speaking, the invention relates to the dispensing of liquids, such as beer, from relatively large bottles, say one gallon or one-half gallon in size, under similar conditions to those accompanying the dispensing of the liquid from kegs or barrels.

In the co-pending application it was proposed to use for this purpose a refrigerating cabinet with a swinging door, to provide means for mounting one or more bottles upon the inside of the door to assume inverted positions when the door is closed, to provide a faucet upon the out` side of the same door and to provide suitable means to dispense the liquid through the faucet under pressure and under desired conditions affecting the temperature and physical properties of the liquid.

In the present invention it is proposed to provide certain improvements and refinements in the apparatus which will create more ideal conditions, facilitate the operation of the device and particularly the exchange of the bottles, effect a more even distribution of a lcooling medium, allow of the accommodation of a reserve supply of bottles subjected to the same cooling medium and eect a more perfect dispensing of the liquid.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a front view of my dispensing device, with portions of the interior construction shown in dotted lines;

Figure 2, a detail view of a portion of a distributing manifold forming part of my invention;

Figure 3, a vertical section taken along line III- III of Figure 1;

Figure 4, a fragmentary detail view similar to that of Figure 3 and showing the door in openn position; and

Figure 5, a diagrammatic view illustrating the distributing manifold arrangement.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, I wish to have it understood thatV various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached without departing from the spirit of the invention.

a lcabinet I, preferably rectangular in form and having a front section substantially of the height of a typical bar, while its rear section is set off,

as at 2, for accommodation underneath the bar 3 indicated in dotted lines, which latter may be provided with suitable rails 4 and 5 in accordance with common practice. It will be noticed that, in this arrangement, the top of the front section of the cabinet comes substantially flush with the top of the bar as shown in Figure 3.

The walls of the cabinet are suitably insulated, as shown at 6, and the cabinet is divided into two compartments, a lower one 1 for accommodating suitable refrigerating apparatus, not shown, and an upper compartment 8 for containing the apparatus and articles to be'described hereinafter.

The front Wall 9 is formed with two door openings Ill which extend from an intermediate portion to the top of the cabinet, the top wall II being suitably recessed, as at I2, to leave the space above the door openings clear. The side walls I3 In its preferred form my invention comprises 555 plane of the front wall 9.

and a suitable intermediatefront wall section I4 form side frames for the door openings.

Front doors I5 are swingably supported in the door openings with freedom of movement between a conventional closing position and the vertical open position indicated in Figure 4. The principal feature of these doors is that they automatically lock in open position. To accomplish this, I use hinge pins I6 for each door, the pins projecting inwardly from the frame members I3 and I4 in alined relation and near the upper ends thereof, substantially on the median plane of the top wall II of the cabinet and on the median The pins are thus spaced a suitable distance from the front edge of the top wall, the latter edge forming an abutment I'I for each door when the latter is in` either closed or wide open position as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Each door is formed, in the upper portions of the side edges thereof, with vertical slots I8 adapted to receive the pins IB and allowing the door to ride on the pins in vertical direction when the door is in either one of its vertical positions. The top edge I9 of each door is rounded on a circular arc concentric with the upper rounded margin of the slot I8 and on a radius .corresponding substantially to'the distance between the center of the pins I6 and the abutment I'I. This .construction allows the door to freely swing while the pins I6 are in the upper ends of the slots. But when the door is opened and swung into Vertical position above the cabinet, it rides downward on the pins I6 as shown in Fig- .lock .the closed door.

ure 4,- with the flat face of the door bearing against the abutment, and since now the upper edge of the door is not concentric any more with respect to the pins, the door is iirmly locked in its open position through the co-action between the pins and the abutment I1.

To release the door it is lifted until the now lower end of the slot reaches the pin, whereupon it is free to swing downward on the pins.

Each door is adapted to support two bottles which are secured in position while being held upright when the door is open and which swing into inverted position when the door is closed.

For supporting the two bottles upon the inner face of the door, I provide two brackets 2| near' the free end of the door, the brackets pointing inwardly when the door is closed and outwardhr when the door is open. These lbrackets support the manifold 22 in the manner shown in detail in Figure 2. The latter includes a horizontal pipe 23 having elbows 24 ,at the outer ends and threaded extensions 25 :of the elbows.

The extensions vZlare secured in the .brackets .2i and project therethrough and 'have suitable Vto project outward therefrom andl to discharge ina downward direction,when^the Idoor is closed, as shown in Figure l3.

The elbows 2d of the pipe '23 have a second set of elbows 32 of much smaller diameter threaded into the backs thereof, as shown .in Figure 2, and these elbows are interconnected by a pipe 33, which latter has flexible connection, at an intermediate point, and through a tube 34, with a suitable container 35 for a compressed gas such as carbon dioxide. This container, it will be noted, is arranged within. the cabinet and the tube 315 is suiciently long to allow of the swinging door movements.

The elbows 32 having pipe extensions 3.6i projecting axially `through .the Stoppers to within close proximity of the bottom ends of the .bottles as shown in Figure 1 For supporting the bottom ends of the `bottles each door is provided, near its hinged end, .with asecond set of brackets 31, .which are mounted in opposing relation to the first brackets andare spaced therefrom by adistanceslightly .in excess of the length of the-bottles to be used. Each of these brackets `has pivotally supported thereon, througha small Vpost S8, a bottle rest 39, which may be raised into horizontal and bottle clamping position by means of a cam having a handle lil. The bottle rest is preferably dished to conform-to the outline of the bottom of the bottle v'and automatically drops into bottle-releasing position when the cam is moved into the opposite direction.

Upon theoutside of the door there is mounted, in opposing relation to the fauc.et,-a.drip pan and glass support 42 which is supported by a shaft 33 revolvably mounted in the door. The shaft has, .at vits inner end, anarm 414 adapted to hook behind ailip zprojectingffrom theffront wallatztheibottom of .thedoor opening,.so.as to It ,will be .noted .that the relative positionsof the drip pan .andthearm-M 7 5 are such that the latter locks the door when the former is in operative position relative to the faucet for holding a glass or for receiving drippings from the faucet.

The bottom portion of the cabinet is equipped with suitable refrigerating apparatus and the refrigerant is passed through a coil 46 lining the rear wall and the bottom of the offset 2 in the top wall of the cabinet.

The device as described leaves considerable space between the bottle mounting and the rear wall and this space is provided with suitable shelves indicated at 41 for holding a reserve supply of bottles which are thus subjected to the influence of the cooling medium.

The operation of my dispenser is as follows:

For mounting the bottles, the door is swung into open position as shown in Figure 4 where it locks itself automatically as previously described. A bottle, from which the conventional cover has been removed, is then guided, in slanting position, with its neck toward and into engagement .with the stopper 26, imtil it clears the previously lowered bottle rest 38, whereupon it is swung into vertical position so that its bottom comes oppositethe rest 39. The cam 40 is then operated by raising the latter, and for deepening the engagement of the bottle neck upon the stopper whereby the upper end of the bottle neck is forced into rm engagement with the collar or base 2i' and a leak-proof connection is established.

' The door is then swung closed, which requires a slight initial lifting and is locked in closed position by `a turning movement of the drip pan, which engages the arm 44 behind the lip #35 and at the same time brings Athe drip pan into horizontal position.

The bottles ,now occupy the inverted position shown in Figures l and V3. Both bottles of each door are connected, through the manifold 22, with the faucet 3l and both bottles receive, through the same manifold, carbon dioxide under pressure, which is delivered through the pipes 36 ,into the upper portions of the bottles and which `urges the liquid contents of the bottles 'under substantially equal pressure toward the faucet. Thus the latter, when opened, draws upon both bottles simultaneously, and both bottles will emptyat the same time.

Valves 34 are provided in the branch lines of the tubes 31lv see Figures 1 and 5). In this manner the two bottles on one of the doors I5 rmay be changed while the two bottles on the other door are beinffused for dispensing purposes.

'I claim:

I1. In combination, a cabinet having an opening therein, the opening defining confronting end walls extending to the upper end of the cabinet, the top of Athe 4cabinet being set back relative to the wall rin which the opening is formed to define an abutment extending behind said confronting end walls, a .door set into the opening with its upper edge flush with the top of the cabinet, the door extending between said confronting end walls and .adjacent the abutment, and means whereby the door is swingablymounted for movement between closed and open positions, said mounting means being made to coact with said abutment in 'automatically retaining the door opened.

,2: In combination, a cabinet having a wall with a door opening therein, hinge pins extending laterally into .the .door opening, a door having means supporting the same on the hinge pins with freedom of swinging movement between vertical positions centrally above and centrally below the hinge pins, and means for holding the door in a position of balance when it is disposed centrally above the hinge pins.

3. In combination, a cabinet having a Wall with a door opening therein, hinge pins extending laterally into the door opening, a door having means supporting the same on the hinge pins with freedom of swinging movement between vertical positions centrally above and centrally below the hinge pins, and an abutment adjacent one face of the door at the elevation of the hinge pins, the door supporting means including means cooperating with the abutment in holding the door in Vertical position when it is disposed centrally above the hinge pins.

4. In combination, a cabinet having a wall with a door opening therein, hinge pins extending laterally into the door opening, a door having means supporting the same on the hinge pins with freedom of swinging movement between vertical positions oentrally above and centrally below the hinge pins and an abutment adjacent one n face of the door at the elevation of the hinge pins, the door supporting means including an elongated bearing allowing the door to slide downward when it is disposed vertically above the hinge pins and to lock itself in balanced position against the abutment.

5. In a device of the character described, a cabinet, a door set into an opening in the wall of the cabinet and means whereby the door is swingably mounted for movement between closed and opened positions in the same vertical plane, the door and the cabinet having means cooperating for automatically locking the door in open position.

6. In a device of the character described, a cabinet, a door Set into an opening in the wall of the cabinet and means whereby the door is swingably mounted for movement betwen closed and opened positions in the same vertical plane, the cabinet having an abutment adjacent the inner face of the door and near the door mounting means, and means coacting with the abutment for automatically locking the door in open position.

DONALD COLVIN. 

